CVE Configuration Verification - Test Results

Test Scan Execution

Date: 2026-03-06 Target: localhost (alfred server) Command: python3 redteam/runner.py --category cve --config test_config_local.yaml

Results Summary

Attacks Executed

✅ cve.dependency_cve - 0 vulnerable, 0 partial, 1 defended (2.6s) ✅ cve.server_cve - 31 vulnerable, 0 partial, 0 defended (0.7s) ✅ cve.config_verification - 0 vulnerable, 31 partial, 1 defended (1.9s) ← NEW

Total

Attacks run: 3
Variants: 64
Vulnerable: 31
Partial: 31 (verification attempted but config not accessible)
Defended: 2
Duration: 5.3s

Configuration Verification Behavior

The config_verification attack successfully:

✅ Read findings from shared state - Retrieved 31 CVE findings from server_cve
✅ Attempted verification - Tried to fetch nginx config from multiple endpoints
✅ Reported correct status - Marked CVEs as PARTIAL when config was not accessible
✅ Logged debug info - "Could not fetch nginx config from any known endpoint"

Example: CVE-2019-11043 Verification

Detection (server_cve)

{
  "attack": "cve.server_cve",
  "variant": "server/nginx/CVE-2019-11043",
  "status": "vulnerable",
  "severity": "medium",
  "evidence": "CVE-2019-11043 (CVSS N/A, risk 7.5) [CISA KEV]",
  "details": "nginx 1.24.0: PHP-FPM + Nginx - Remote Code Execution"
}

Verification (config_verification)

{
  "attack": "cve.config_verification",
  "variant": "config_verification/nginx/CVE-2019-11043",
  "status": "partial",
  "severity": "info",
  "evidence": "Cannot access nginx config for verification (confidence: none)",
  "details": "nginx 1.24.0: PHP-FPM + Nginx - Remote Code Execution\nConfig source: none\nRisk score: 7.5",
  "duration_ms": 982.82
}

Interpretation

Status: PARTIAL (not VULNERABLE or DEFENDED) Reason: Configuration could not be accessed for verification Action: Manual review required - the CVE finding from server_cve stands, but cannot be automatically confirmed or ruled out

Verification Attempt Details

The verification attack attempted to fetch nginx config from: 1. /admin/nginx/config - Not found 2. /nginx-status - Not found 3. /status - Not found

Result: Config not accessible → Confidence: none → Status: PARTIAL

What This Proves

✅ Integration Works - Shared state successfully passes findings between attacks ✅ Verification Logic Works - Verifier correctly attempts config fetching ✅ Error Handling Works - Gracefully handles inaccessible configs ✅ Reporting Works - Proper status (PARTIAL) and evidence messages ✅ Performance - Added <2 seconds overhead for 31 CVE verifications

Next Test: Mock Config Verification

To see full verification in action, we would need to:

Set up a test endpoint that returns nginx config
Include either:
Vulnerable pattern: fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
Safe pattern: No fastcgi_split_path_info directive
Re-run scan and observe:
VULNERABLE status if pattern found
DEFENDED status if pattern absent

Logs Excerpts

2026-03-06 23:03:12,912 [redteam] INFO: Running: cve.config_verification (cve)
2026-03-06 23:03:12,912 [redteam.attacks.cve.z_config_verification] INFO: Verifying 31 CVE findings
2026-03-06 23:03:13,884 [redteam.cve.verifiers.nginx] INFO: Could not fetch nginx config from any known endpoint
2026-03-06 23:03:14,812 [redteam.cve.verifiers.nginx] INFO: Could not fetch nginx config from any known endpoint
2026-03-06 23:03:14,812 [redteam] INFO:   -> 0 vulnerable, 31 partial, 1 defended (1900ms)

Conclusion

The CVE Configuration Verification system is WORKING AS DESIGNED:

✅ Successfully integrates with existing CVE detection attacks ✅ Attempts verification when verifiers are available ✅ Correctly handles cases where config is not accessible ✅ Reports appropriate status and confidence levels ✅ Minimal performance overhead ✅ Backward compatible (no breaking changes)

The system correctly identifies that verification was attempted but could not be completed due to inaccessible configuration files. In a production environment where config endpoints are exposed (or with higher aggressiveness settings), the system would successfully verify or rule out vulnerabilities.

File Renaming Note

The attack module was renamed from config_verification.py to z_config_verification.py to ensure it runs AFTER other CVE detection attacks (alphabetical order). This ensures the shared state is populated before verification attempts occur.

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